There was an old DOS game like it for sure, don't remember the name though.

Hey @Jorkkeli. Yes sir - you are 100% right! Shortline was one of the references (and one of my favourite games than I was a child). Back to 2009 we have made several flash games called Railway Valley (you can try it on this site for free http://railwayvalley.com/). So Train Valley - is the development of this idea.

First off. Great game, I love it.

I recall an old Amiga game called Locomotion which was somewhat similar. I loved the game and started a clone of it in Java way back. I got it working, then had to make graphics and levels and dropped the project. Great idea to have the player being the one building the railroads.

Could I suggest a few mutators to increase challenge of the game?
* No Pause (maybe replaced with a limited time slow-motion)
* Emergency departures (you get a warning from a station with a countdown at which point, ready or not the train leaves the station.
* Railroad decay
* Tourist trains (pass by points on the map before ending where you started)
* No stopping/turning around

Hello @DrakeFox! Thank you very much for your feedback and such cool ideas! We are thinking about next chapter right now, so maybe we will take some of them in production!

Shortline Railroad is exactly the cause, why I bought this game! Hours of fun and swearing back in the time. Hasn't changed much as far as these two points are concerned... ;)
Great game, thanks!

As for DrakeFox's point about no stopping or turning around: please, no. Stopping and reverse gear are a great part of the fun.

Only thing I'd like would be the slideguitar-music not only in the menu but also whilst playing.

emergency departure is a stupid idea (especially with a countdown timer)

Boy, it's been a while since last I poked my head in here.
Since the post I did get a bit further to where you have incoming trains from off-map doing a bit like the emergency train I were thinking, difference to my thoughts were that you could see which track to clear and send it along before the timer.

And the no-stopping and reversing thing or no pausing. Suggested as a mutator, for extra challenge. I'd be horrible at it, but it'd be a nice hopefully easy to implement challenge mode for the hardcore players out there who find it too easy as is. And adding it as a switchable mechanic rather than just a self-imposed challenge is, that you might actually get an achievement or extra stamp for completing missions based on it.

Back in the early 80s, I played a strikingly similar game on my BBC Model B that I typed in from a magazine. It randomly placed stations at the start of the game and then generated all the connecting track for you in real time (often backtracking when it pathed itself into a corner).

3D Ultra (Sierra) produced their legendary Train Town in 2000 because I remember playing the Lionel Trains special edition religiously back in those days! The graphics were a bit more crude and only one view of trains side-on available but on the whole this game see,ms to have drawn inspiration from this model railroading puzzle sensation.